SCORE, London
Background
The SCORE (Sports Club Orient) project is the final element of the Waltham Forest Housing Action Trust , a non-departmental public body set up under the terms of the 1988 Housing Act to tackle the structural and social problems of four housing estates formerly owned by the London Borough of Waltham Forest.
English Partnerships’ involvement follows from our role as the residuary body for WFHAT, which was wound up in April 2002.
The Project
The SCORE mission was to develop an all-embracing sports club and community facility, driven, owned and managed by its members, catering for the different needs relevant to the diverse communities in Leyton and Leytonstone. The facility is aimed at social groups and individuals traditionally excluded from mainstream leisure provision.
The SCORE Project tries to link sports participation to wider social issues of health, employment, education and crime reduction
The SCORE Project has delivered a high-quality community and sports facilities based around a new prestigious, landmark building. The facilities have transformed an area that was formerly derelict, making best use of the two sites that were available for development.
The SCORE Project consists of multi-sports, health and community facilities located on two neighbouring sites in Leyton, North East London; Coronation Gardens and Ive Farm.
The Coronation Gardens site was previously a run down area with hardcourt tennis courts and little used bowling green which had all suffered from vandalism, the Ive Farm site was also out of public use. At Coronation Gardens, a new high-quality community/sports building has been constructed. A new sports hall adjoins the main building.
Other parts of the site include a new flood-lit all-weather football pitch, an all-weather bowling green and refurbished clubhouse, outdoor multi-use games area, children’s playground and areas of landscaping. The main building includes a health centre to be run by the local PCT, a crèche, a community hall, café, training rooms and meeting rooms and changing rooms for the sporting facilities on the site. At the Ive Farm site, an existing sports field has been upgraded and a new pavilion incorporating changing facilities has been provided.
The project received funding from ten external bodies, with additional funding from WFHAT. The funding partners are Sport England; English Partnerships, the residuary body for the Housing Action Trusts; the Football Foundation; the London Development Agency; the European Regional Development Fund; the Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust, who are leasing part of the main building for a health centre; the Bridgehouse Trust; the Department of Trade and Industry; the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund; the New Opportunities Fund and the London Marathon Trust.
The administration of the facility is by a dedicated registered charity with local trustees. The Sports Club Orient Trust Board is made up of English Partnerships, the London Borough of Waltham Forest, O-Regen, Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme (LOCSP) and the Sports Users Group. The wider project also includes the Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust, Beaumont Youth and Social Club and the Oliver Road Residents Association.
Specialist charities or trusts manage the different areas at SCORE and there is an emphasis on promoting cross use between the different facilities. The partners operating SCORE are;
- LOCSP – deliver and manage the sports and outdoor aspects of the project
- O-Regen – manages the community use of the building
- PCT – deliver health services
- Nappy Gang – provide nursery/crèche facilities.
Current Status
SCORE opened in July 2005.